Cara My lips were still tingling from his kiss despite my disgust and anger at Growl. He backed away slowly, with an expression I could not decipher. I jumped off the counter, wanting to get out of that compromising situation, and froze in fear when both dogs jumped up from where they had been resting in the corner of the kitchen.
The only dog I had had closer contact with over the years had been Anastasia’s Chihuahua that she had bought after it became an essential fashion item according to the magazines she had read. But that dog was the size of a guinea pig with teeth barely strong enough to scratch the skin. These dogs, however, were monstrous in size and most likely in character, just like their owner. I held my breath and leaned against the counter again. There was nowhere else for me to go and from the way they were looking at me they would probably follow me anyway. My heart rate quickened and I froze completely.
The dogs didn’t move either, but they seemed tense as if they were ready to lash out at me if I moved the wrong way.
Growl gave me a look that made it clear he thought I had lost my mind, but he was obviously not someone I trusted when it came to judging the danger and monstrosity of his dogs.
“If you act like you are scared, you will make them suspicious,” he said as if I were a child.
I glowered at him. His words only made my fear worse and made me stiffen even more. Growl put down his coffee again and looked at me as if he was trying to understand something.
My eyes darted between him and his dogs.
Growl stealthily approached me, his arm coming toward me. I recoiled, expecting a punch. He looked frustrated.
He froze with his arm in midair, and the lack of understanding on his face increased even more.
“What are you doing?” he grumbled, slowly lowering his muscular arm.
Now I noticed more scratches on his upper arm. I was pretty sure they couldn’t all be my doing. A red dot slowly began to spread across his bandages and I grimaced. Growl lowered his gaze to his injured forearm and sighed. “You’re a lot of trouble,” he said simply. He raised his eyes to mine. I couldn’t read his expression.
“Maybe you should see a doctor,” I said instead of the unpleasant answer I had in mind. So far Growl had been more civil than I had thought possible, and I couldn’t risk provoking him and making him change his mood.
“I don’t need any doctors. I sutured the wound myself.
I’ve done it before. But you cut me a lot and I shouldn’t move my arm so much.”
I thought I had barely left a knife mark on him from his reaction yesterday, but he was probably too careful to show the extent of his wound during a fight. Although calling the brief struggle between us a fight was ridiculous.
“Why did you back down?” he asked. I hoped he had forgotten about my reaction to his approach.
I shrugged my shoulders and returned my attention to the dogs watching us. They had not yet moved from their places at the back of the kitchen, except that the black one had sat down.
“I thought you were going to hit me,” I finally said.
Silence followed, until I could stand it no longer and looked up to find Growl staring at me with obvious confusion.
“Oh, come on,” I muttered, growing more and more angry, despite my best intentions not to provoke him, but his shock was ridiculous. “Don’t act like it’s impossible. I saw you yesterday. I saw you kill a man with your bare hands by twisting his neck.”
“Where were you? I didn’t see you anywhere.”
“In the cupboard.”
Growl nodded. “He was the enemy.”
“And I wasn’t?”
For some reason he seemed closer than before, and finally his scent hit me. Not of sweat, blood, and death like the night before, but fresh and musky. It seemed too normal for someone like him.
“No. Enemies must be eliminated because they mean danger, and often death. Not you.”
“I tried to kill you the night before,” I said indignantly.
He said nothing, and that was worse than an insult.
I crossed my arms. I was beginning to tire of this conversation, of the situation, of everything. I closed my eyes, but the moment I did, images from the night before came back to my mind and I quickly opened them again.
I really wished Growl would stop looking at me with that intent expression. He looked like an explorer who had discovered a new species. “What will happen now?” I asked softly.
“I have work to do, and you will stay here and watch TV.”
I laughed. Had he misunderstood me on purpose?
“That’s not what I meant. Are you going to keep me locked up here until I die or are you going to get tired of me?”
“I haven’t given it much thought yet. I didn’t know Falcone would give you to me or I would make plans,” he said.
Plans for my imprisonment, how thoughtful. “What now?” Everything seemed so meaningless. My life had never been free. There had been rules and expectations, but now I had no choice.
“I will go to work and you will stay here.”
I gave up. Either he couldn’t or wouldn’t understand me. “Will you take them with you?” I nodded toward the dogs.
Growl shook his head. “They’ll stay here with you.”
“Are you sure they won’t tear me to pieces?”
Growl turned toward his dogs. “Coco, Bandit.”
They did not hesitate. Within seconds they were at Growl’s side and looked at him with something I could only describe as adoration. “They are well trained,” he explained. “You can come closer.”
I nodded, but did not move from my place against the kitchen counter. From the way they were panting, I could clearly see the size of their teeth.
He frowned. “You will have to get used to them. You will spend a lot of time with them in the future, and I won’t always be there to help you.”
The idea of him helping me was ridiculous.
I certainly wasn’t anxious about his presence.
“If you want to touch them, you should always give them a chance to smell you first. At least until they get to know you better. They are wary dogs. Most people haven’t given them much reason to be trusting.” She held her hand in front of Coco, then at Bandit’s nose before stroking his head. “If they move back, let them. Don’t try to pet them if they don’t want to.”
How could I have known when they wanted to be petted? Not that I was going to touch them without a good reason or without Growl nearby. They frightened me . There was nothing I could do about it. They seemed to know how to tear things apart. Their many scars spoke of their harsh past.
“They’re fighting dogs, right?”
Growl nodded. “Both have fought in many fights.
They’ve won most of them.”
“I bet you won a lot of money with them then,” I muttered , hoping he could feel my disgust. Why should people enjoy watching dogs tear each other apart? But I had never understood the appeal of boxing matches; boxers, at least, chose to fight of their own free will.
He patted Coco and Bandit again before turning his full attention to me. “I never sent them to fight. I bought them when they were too old to win.” His voice was gentler when he talked about his dogs, although it still had the harsh tone of a growl because of his injured vocal cords.
“Why?”
“Because they would be killed, and after what they went through, they deserve to live in peace for the rest of their lives.”
Was there really a glimmer of kindness in this man? It seemed unlikely, but from the way he cared for his dogs, I could not deny the possibility. Perhaps he felt a bond with the dogs because they had been forced into a life of violence. Not much was known about Growl’s past, but no one was born this way, no one was born bad. Perhaps he too had been forced into this life. Perhaps he had never experienced a normal life. It didn’t justify his actions, but it was an explanation that helped me understand him better, and understanding was always the first step toward a solution. If I wanted to get out of my horrible situation, I would first have to find out more about my abductor, even if it meant spending time with him.
“So you never bet on dogfighting? I’ve heard that some people have made millions from it.” Looking at his dingy house, I was sure he could use the money.
He shook his head. “I don’t care about money, and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to win it by letting dogs tear each other apart.”
The man was an enigma.
He signaled for me to approach again. “Come. You must get to know each other and I don’t have much time.”
I took a few hesitant steps and when both dogs did not move, I caught the remaining distance between us.
“Kneel down,” Growl ordered, and the words brought to mind another image that troubled me even more than the dogs with their big teeth, especially as they made my body overheat. I quickly chased away the ‘image and crouched down.
Growl grabbed my hand, startling me. Only at the last second did I manage to restrain myself from moving away. His palm was calloused and warm. I stopped breathing when he held out his hand in front of the light brown dog’s muzzle. He sniffed, then wagged his tail slightly. Then Growl put his hand on my back. “This is Coco. She’s eight years old and I’ve had her for two.” Coco seemed too commonplace a name for such a dog.
I ran my hand down Coco’s back. His fur was soft, and I was amazed at the feel of the dog’s muscles.
He felt strong, even stronger than he looked. I could only imagine what a spectacle the dog had been in the fighting arena, and pity for her rose in my mind again. Her brown eyes were curious and kind. I could not see a hint of aggression.
Growl took my hand again and held it out for the other dog, Bandit, to inspect. He too sniffed a couple of times but did not wag his tail or react in any other way. He did not seem to care much about my presence.
Growl shrugged his shoulders. “He needs to get to know you better.
Give him time.” He let go of my hand and I quickly retracted it and rose to my feet. It was too strange.
Growl was acting as if we had become a strange family.
Growl stood up too, looming over me. “I have to go now.” He picked up his cell phone from the kitchen table and headed down the hall.
“Do you have a meeting with Falcone?” I blurted out, following him . The name stung like acid on my tongue.
Growl frowned from over his shoulder. He said nothing.
“Can you ask him about my sister and mother?” I said, then added. “Please? I go crazy if I don’t know if they’re okay.”
“Falcone will tell me or he won’t tell me. If I ask him, he will be more likely to keep it to himself because it is an additional piece of power.”
“I need to know if they are okay,” I repeated.
Growl nodded. “I took the dogs for a long walk this morning , so it’s enough to let them out in the garden around noon. “I’ll take them for a walk when I get back,” he said , then added. “Don’t try anything. It won’t do you or anyone else any good.” He gave me a confident look until I finally nodded, before walking out and closing the door. A moment later I heard the click of the lock and was alone.
I approached the door, listening for the sound of his car pulling away. Then I hesitated again. Maybe it was a trick? Maybe he just wanted to see if I would try to escape if I had the chance. Maybe he was even impatient for a chance to punish me?
I heaved a sigh and went back to the kitchen, trying to ignore the dogs, who had returned to their blankets. There were no curtains in the house, so I had a clear view toward the driveway. Growl’s car was gone, but I still couldn’t believe he had left me alone. My eyes began to scan the neighborhood for anything unusual , but to me everything was. This area had been born out of misery.
An old man sat on the porch of his house across the street. He was watching me, or at least Growl’s house.
Had Growl paid him to keep an eye on the front door?
I turned away from the window and hurried to the back door that faced the garden. When I lowered the handle, it opened. Growl had not locked it. Since the man was too alert to accidentally leave the door open, this was either a trap or he knew I couldn’t escape even if I tried. Both dogs appeared at my side, startling me. But they were not interested in me. Instead, they burst into the garden and started chasing each other. I got out and looked around carefully. The only way to climb over the ‘high fence was to use a chair or table to climb over it.
Since the kitchen was devoid of any luxuries such as chairs, patio furniture was my only option. Although the table did not seem stable enough to hold my weight and the chairs were too low to give me enough height advantage . When I tried to move the chairs, however, they would not move. I looked at the ground and found them bolted to the concrete porch. Growl had done this? But when? Last night while I was sleeping? I let out a high-pitched laugh and slumped into one of the chairs. I couldn’t stop laughing. The dogs stopped their game of chasing each other and looked at me, obviously upset by my laughter.
I even got scared with that noise. Every piece of furniture, even a weight bench, was bolted to the ground.
I remained silent and closed my eyes, then slowly let my head fall forward until it rested on my legs. I let the images of last night assail me, hoping that reliving them again would keep them from haunting me. It would take time, I knew. Maybe it would never go away.
T alia. Mother. What were they doing now?
I had no way to reach them, no way to tell them I was okay and tell them to be strong. Maybe this was the worst thing, worse even than being Growl’s prisoner. Something nudged my neck and I lifted my head to find Coco standing very close to me, her warm dog breath brushing against my face. At first I was afraid, but then I realized that the dog was trying to comfort me. I did not move, worried that I would scare her if I did.
“Thank you,” I whispered, even though I felt silly talking to a dog.
Coco trotted away to where Bandit was scratching a spot near the fence.
I got up from my chair and looked around once more, then approached the fence for another check, but with the barbed wire on top there was no way to get over it.
And what would I have done if I had succeeded? Where would I have gone?
I had no money, no papers, no cell phone. Nothing. I had nothing.
Nor was there anyone I could run to.
My father’s parents had died when I was little and he had no siblings, and my mother. My mother had never talked about her family. I assumed she would run away to marry Father.
Trish and Anastasia were also out of the question. Their parents were loyal to Falcone. The moment they saw me, I would be handed back to Growl.
I was completely alone until I found my mother and sister, and there was no way I could make it without Growl ‘s help. I had no choice but to find a way to get Growl to turn on my side.
The couple started yelling at each other again.
This area was so depressing, I wasn’t sure how anyone could live there by choice. But most people probably had no choice.
I returned to the house before my mood could plummet any further. The dogs were still busy by the fence.
“Bandit, Coco, come here!” I called, and surprisingly they both obeyed my command without hesitation and ran into the house. I closed the door and with a deep breath turned around to look at the house. It was gloomy and looked almost like an enemy in itself. No decoration, no cozy furnishings.
This place was meant only for the most basic needs. I glanced at the refrigerator, but except for a carton of eggs and a few cans of Coke, even that was empty. I thought about making an omelet, even though I had only made it once before. I wasn’t very hungry anyway.
I went back to the living room and let myself fall onto the couch. A spring planted in my butt and the old thing squeaked under my weight. I had never had to watch TV all day. I had always been busy with school, friends and hobbies. I slowly leaned back against the backrest. The only other objects in the room were a TV, a TV cabinet, which looked like Growl had found it on the side of the road, and a coffee table. There were no cabinets, paintings, or anything else. Growl certainly could not spend much time there.
I had to find a way to get out of there as quickly as possible.
I took the remote control from the table and turned on the TV . I zapped through the various channels, but there was nothing remotely interesting. I put the remote back down , letting the nature channel run in the background as I got up to discover the remaining rooms, but I had already seen them all. There was the bathroom, my room, and Growl’s room. He had not locked it despite the weapons decorating its walls.
There was not a single book in the house. Nor did I see a computer anywhere.
Frustrated, I sat back down on the couch and walked out with nothing else to do, eventually falling asleep again.
The sound of the lock woke me up and I jumped up.
Goose bumps covered my skin. The air conditioning was simply too cold. I looked around the room for a clock, but that was missing, too.
It was still light outside, so I knew at least that it was not night.
The dogs barked happily and then Growl’s footsteps were heard. He appeared in the doorway, quickly scanned the room before giving me a look.
“Are you all right?” he asked suspiciously.
“No,” I said. What a stupid question.
Growl lifted a milk carton. “For your coffee.”
My lips parted. “Uh, thank you?”
We stared at each other. He seemed as uncertain about the situation as I was. I began to rub some heat on my arms. “Cold?”
I nodded. He left and the air conditioning stopped blowing cold air into the room. Why was he acting that way?
It made me suspicious of his motives.
“Any news?” I asked when he returned.
His expression stiffened. Then he turned and headed down the hall toward the kitchen. I pushed myself off the couch to run after him. He was standing in the open refrigerator. ” You haven’t eaten anything.”
Was that silly? “I’m not hungry.” That was a lie. “What about my question? Did you meet Falcone, did he say anything about my mother or my sister?”
“You have to eat,” Growl said. “Going hungry won’t change anything.”
“I don’t give a damn! Answer my question, damn it!”
Bandit emitted a low growl, but Growl silenced him with a wave of his hand.
I stiffened. “Not dangerous, huh?”
“What do you expect when you yell at their master?”
“Come on, it’s not like I’m a danger to you,” I said mockingly.
He lowered his gaze to his bandaged arm, then shrugged. “You’re not, but you’re disrespectful.”
“You don’t deserve my respect.”
Growl closed the fridge, tilting his head to look at me.
Again I realized he didn’t know what to do with me.
“I’m going to order a pizza. I didn’t have anything for lunch.
What kind of pizza do you want?”
I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe.
“I won’t eat anything until you answer my question.”
“And I won’t answer until you eat something.”
“Does that mean you know more?”
“Yes,” he said simply.